The Scarlet Plague
by AliceInMurderland
Summary: "The last to fall were the buildings, distant and solemn, the gravestones for an entire world." - AU - Human!Al - Nobody in the world was ready for this; it has become survival of the fittest. Will the Elric brothers make it? Rated M for violence and swearing.


**A/N Hi there! I am Alice in Murderland! Thanks for stopping by to read this! Uhm, I don't have a beta and I'm not sure how that works, but if by chance you know of one and think I need the help feel free to recommend one in the reviews!**  
**I pretty much know where I am going with this fic and I have just been waiting for the right time to do that! So, here I go! Enjoy! :)**

**DISCLAIMER : I do not own FMA or any of its characters!**

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Chapter One

The grey clouds hung heavily over the tiny abandonned town, and the wind howled violently through the trees. Branches hit what was left of any windows belonging to the empty houses, and open doors creaked with the wind.  
The sun had not shone for weeks, but during the dark cold days, they managed to find there way into the houses to set up camp, and through the empty towns they walked through.  
Everyone who was smart had left weeks ago, not everyone, though, made it.

Edward Elric sat upright against a damp wall, a rifle resting against the window sill, ready for the kill. Not two feet away from him, his baby brother slept, curled up in stained blankets. A large cut stretched out from under his eye just down to the tip of his jaw.  
Edward cursed silently and returned his gaze to the empty streets.  
They had barely made it out of the last town alive, and it was his fault, if he had been paying more attention those..things, wouldn't have grabbed him, and Alphonse..  
Edward shook his head to erase the memory. He took a deep breath, and relaxed a little.  
They had been running for exactly 6 weeks, 3 days, 15 hours, and 16 minutes. Someone had to keep track, someone had to stay strong..  
Edward sighed again, and shook his head.  
Nobody knew what happend, or who caused it, or anything about it, really. One day everything was fine, it was great, and then people started getting sick..and then people were dying..People began to move away, slowly, then all at once. It was a nationwide panic. Nobody knew if it had happened to the other countries. At first they weren't sure if it spread to all the towns, but as they moved through them, it became more and more clear..

Edward had heard of a refugee center in Central. It would have normally taken them 3 days to get to Central from Resembool, but with the trains down they had to walk, and Edward wasn't sure how long it was going to take them now. But he wasn't about to give up. He couldn't give up. If not for him, then for Alphonse. His little brother had meant everything to them, and the poor kid had been thorough, and seen too much for Edward to give up now. He let out another soft sigh as he turned to Alphonse again. He watched the boys chest rise and fall, and smiled a little. His little brother was honestly the only thing keeping him sane right now.

His mind wandered off as he watched the child, but he was brought back to his harsh reality with a loud crash from downstairs. He shot up immediatly, his gun ready to fire. Alphonse woke up with a start, and turned to find his brother. Edward nodded towards the door, and Al got up out of his makeshift bed, and walked slowly towards his brother. Edward extended his arm, and guided his younger sibling behind him, gun aimed forward.  
When he was sure Al was okay, he slowly made his way out of the room. He looked down the hall with his gun, before moving forward. The crash came from downstairs, so that's where they had to go, they were no longer safe. The moon had long since risen, making it the most dangerous time to travel, but they didn't have much of a choice.  
Alphonse tip toed behind Edward, he thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest.

The siblings made their way blindly down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, they could hear shuffling in the kitchen. Edward turned to Alphonse, and placed his index finger over his lips, before turning and facing forward.  
He took a deep breath, and placed his cold finger carefully over the trigger before moving.  
Edward walked slowly, keeping his arms steady. They hit the bottom of the stairs, and turned down the hall, and finally into the kitchen. A tiny slender silhouette stood by the over turned dining table. Alphonse let out a tiny squeak, and Edward cursed under his breath. The tiny being turned around, and Edward gripped the gun tighter.  
"Brother..no..let's just go..", Alphonse pleaded, quietly.  
Edward ignored him. He had to. He couldn't just leave it, it would follow them, and bring more.  
Edward lift his gun, and aimed for its head. There was a small hiss from the darkness, and Ed took a deep breath. Alphonse shook his head again, "Brother please!", he begged.

The silhouette moved into the soft moonlight, revealing a small boy, no older than five at most. His eyes were glazed over, blood caked to his face, and into his golden hair. The tips of his fingers were stained with blood, as was his mouth. It was too late. He was one of them. The small child moved forward again, his pastel eyes now on Alphonse and the crimson stained on his cheek.  
The child cocked his head, and lunged forward with a high pitched screech. Without blinking, Edward raised the rifle, and pulled the trigger, sending the boys brains out of the new found hole at the back of his skull. Alphonse let out a small cry, and turned away, his small lunch finding its way onto the dirty kitchen floor. The body hit the floor with a loud thump, and Edward put down the gun. He turned to Alphonse, and grabbed his arm harshly.  
"Pack up, we need to move, now."  
Alphonse, wiped his mouth, and followed his older brother back up the stairs, much less quiet than before.  
"I don't want to run any more, brother, that boy, I-I wanna go h-home,"  
Tears sprung to the boys eyes, but Edward didn't slow down.  
"We don't have time for that, we need to move. They heard the gun shots, there will be more."  
He walked into the room, and grabbed his backpack, throwing random things into the bag. He zipped it up, and slung it over his shoulder, quickly reloading his gun. Alphonse worked quickly too, packing his bag. He closed it, and followed his brother out of the room. They clomped their way down the stairs and out the front door, into the night. Out in the distance, more screams filled the air. Edward cursed, and cocked his gun.  
"Listen to me Al, we need to move, and we need to move fast. Understand?", he asked, his eyes scanning the darkness.  
There was no reply.  
Edward lowered his gun, and turned around.  
"Al?", he called.  
Behind him, Alphonse stood, his face pale, eyes forward. Edward followed his eyes and froze.  
"Son of a bitch..."

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**A/N DUN DUN DUUUUN DALSJKF Soooo? What did you think? Sorry it was so short! And before you ask they are _NOT_ Zombies! You will find out what they are later on :) More will be explained as you read! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! 3 :)**

**- Alice.**


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